February 24, 2009

It turns my stomach.It makes my nose wrinkle in disgust. I'm just not crazy about it.I can honestly say that I wasn't giving the flavor of curry a fair chance until this latest round of Taste & Create (XVI). (I'm stubborn like that.) I was fortunate enough to be paired with the hostess herself, Nicole of For the Love of Food. Folks, this gal has been blogging since 2003, so you can only imagine how many stellar posts and recipes are contained within her blog.

I went all the way back to 2007 and found an interesting post about Curry Apple & Carrot Soup. I was intrigued because Nicole confessed to not particularly caring for curry until she tried this soup. So, if anything was going to bring curry around for me, this would probably be it.

I gave it a shot. I made it a bit thicker than she did and added some red pepper flakes just for fun. It's creamy, kinda sweet, and the curry flavor that I was so afraid of wasn't overwhelming at all. Although I'm certainly not gonna become curry's #1 fan any time soon, I'm glad I gave it a shot and found that it's really not as bad as I thought.

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comments:

Grace, Interesting that you don't like curry. I'm not crazy about Indian curry, either but I use Madras curry powder as an all-purpose seasoning in so many things. Go figure. Funny how the same spices in different configurations can evoke such different responses.

And though totally different spices, I love Thai and Japanese curries.

I wasn't too thrilled with curries at first, either--but I'm a true convert, now, baby! I had to take my time and learn to love it.

One of my favorite uses for curry powder is on oven-baked sweet potato fries. Or just stirred into sour cream as a veggie dipper.

'Curry' is also a term that can be more varied than an Indian curry--I checked out a library [cook]book not too long ago about curries from around the world. Thai curries are obviously not the same as Indian ones; African varieties are also deliciously different.

I would encourage anyone to keep trying, in small doses, especially at home where you can control the amount of different ingredients. A home-made spice blend for curries is of higher quality than the spice mix, too, and allows you to leave out your least favorite spices.

I seek out curry dishes. I am huge lover of curry dishes, and sadly my hubby is not. When we go to nyc I love to seek out new curry places. But I'll admit I don't like curry lamb; those two should never go together. LOL This does kind of look like mashed taters, so I imagine it tastes wonderful.

I would say in horror how can you not like curry but I am the person who never knows what to comment when I encounter bananas, shrimp or olives, all of which I shamefully do not care for. I consider them my Foodie Flaws. :)

Grace, yay for you! You finally had a positive curry experience! People have such strong reactions to curry that it makes me wonder if there is something genetic there, you know, like with cilantro. For some people, cilantro tastes exactly like soap-- it's a genetic trait. Perhaps a very strong aversion to curry indicates an allergy to one of its components. I totally agree with Nicole that it is best to make your own curry spice mix so you can control the flavors better. Any decent Indian cookbook will help there. I love both Indian and Thai curries. But for me it was love at first bite. I do remember that I used to truly detest the taste of turmeric, but now I enjoy it very much in certain foods, like Egyptian Ful. Not bucketsful, of course. It sure is true that our palates change over the years, so good for you for being willing to give curry another chance! My favorite curry dishes are a coleslaw with a sweet curry dressing, and I'm very partial to a Curried Apple and Sweet Potato soup as well as a Curried Cream of Eggplant Soup (yeah, I know I'm weird) and I am totally with Lorraine. I do not do organ meats of any kind. :) Thanks for another great post!

Curry for kids? I don't think so....But maybe with apples and carrots, hidden in a soup? Just maybe I could get away with it for a weeknight dinner...or maybe I'll just have lots of leftovers for my lunches.

We have way too much in common. I like a lot of foods and I don't think I could put curry in the top 100...probably not even in the top 1000. You've got a stronger gut than I because I don't think I could've even given it a try. The smell alone turns my stomach a little.

Either you love it or hate it and I am enjoying it. My hubby's patient's have given me curry recipes over the years but I am always slow to try them. I usually stick to the ones I know! Yours looks particularly delicious!

I'm crazy about curry - I LOVE it!! I would really like to take you to my favourite curry house and try some of the wonderful dishes they have there. Not all hot and spicy either.Well done for making the soup, I would glug it down in a heartbeat, looks REALLY good.

Grace, I think you need to make your own so you can make it suit to your taste. It's like chili powder: there are as many variations as they are cooks. You know that CINNAMON can be part of curry, right? :) it's true :)

So funny because I HATE curry. But after much investigation and a little trepidation, I discovered the ingredient in the curry that I dont like is fenugreek. To me it tastes like talcum powder. So as long as the curry does not contain fenugreek, then I love it. I make my own mix now!

As someone who used to live in fear of curry because they were always too hot, I am now a full curry-convert! Korma was the thin edge of the wedge - all sweetness and spice - and now I find myself eating hotter and hotter curries. I love the complexity of the flavours, and I think there are very few soups that can't be improved by a sprinkle of curry spices :) Yours looks heavenly...